no pictures of the wheel as of yet. I will inquire from Kahn Design North America tomorrow and see if i can hold of some pictures.

 

I think if you take out the "supercharged" you will save a lot of weight......

 

Better off getting A new GT3, Ford GT...Z06...I doubt the seats are 500lbs.

 

Removing the stereo is not as easy as you might think on a SL55. It is not an Honda we are talking about with a normal rectanglar stereo that you can just pull out...

(No I don't have an SL55)

 

I have dropped about 100 lbs from my E55 without ghetto pimp stripping it.

1. stock battery 54 lbs. Oddesy battery 14lbs -- 40lbs
2. Stock 4 rotors to Evo - 34 lb unsprung savings
3. Took out all the tools, emergency kit, no spare, no floormats in back, no lining in trunk - 25lbs
4. Went up to 19's but kept unsprung weight the same.
5. The Evo headers are 10lbs less than stock.
6. Added back 10lbs to larger pulley

Net = 99lbs less. thats about 0.1 lower in the ET.

Next I am going to rip out the radio, seats, back seats, dash, and install lexan all for another 300lbs drop so I can run 0.3 sec lower... J/K

 

Although I don't see anything wrong with gutting a SL I wouldn't do it to a perfectly good one. I would love to find a super cheap flooded/totaled SL55 and turn it into an all out track car

 

Bringing back an over 8 year old thread but does anybody know what the weight of the r230 seats are. The 55 lb doesn't sound correct to me. Heated Recaros are 30-35lb so that would only be a 40lb saving.

 

From what I remember, the seats are around 100lbs each.
One thing people tend to do here in the GCC, is disable the convertible. Removing pumps and all. They save around 100 kilos. And people have done that in our neighboring countries (Kuwait and the UAE).

I did however find some light weighted seats for my SL, if all goes well, i will go with the install. Those seats weigh roughly around 30lbs, no mechanism at all, and they look pretty decent, especially when i'd put my top down.

It will be too costly to reduce the weight, just go for a Weistec Conversion like what I did and you'll be whooping 458s and Murcielagos in no time

 

Mine is a 600 so can't supercharge. If you disable the top you might as well remove it while your at it. Just take it out on sunny days. I really want to hear that someone has a confirmed weight before I pull them out and find they only weigh 60lb.

I have taken the spare and tools out around 50lb, light weight wheels and lighter brakes which netted around 80lb of un-sprung weight, also lithium batteries around 60lb saving. With the seats at 100lb and the replacement Recaros with heat and air bags at around 40lb each that would save an additional 120lb.

Total savings at 310lb of which 80lb is un-sprung which using a conservative estimate at 4x sprung weight that would add an additional 240lb. So all in it comes to 550lb equivalent saved.

If you were to take the top with all the pumps and mechanisms I would assume at least 400lb could be saved along with the A/C and heat out as you have no top now at around 50lb. You could get close to 1000lb saving. Pump up the power to around 700BHP and then you might be ready for the 458.

 

You are better off getting a W215 CL55 and start from their...

 

I thought the cl's are heavier than the sl

 

I think they are both around the same but with the CL you have better chassis rigidity because it's not a convertible.

 

actually I’ve owned both - the CL55 and the SL55. There is no noticeable improvement in rigidity from the SL to the CL, but the SL is almost 200kg/400lbs heavier because of all of the stiffening mods to the chassis. So you’re starting from behind on weight for the SL. You are in a much more sporty package though, so it still feels faster, and I think is in the real world.

So, mods: people are arguing if you should be Pursuing weight loss or power increase, as if they are somehow exclusive. Well that’s like saying should we be aiming for a girlfriend/boyfriend with a better body or a nicer face? Answer is obviously both.

On my car, and in my personal first-hand experience, the following have been the most important mods:

1) wheels and tyres. I bought 20” BC forged Alu wheels and low pro Michelin PS4 rubber. Saved a massive amount of weight each corner, and sharpened up the car. I’m talking 20-25lbs a corner over the 18 spoke merc alloys and stock tyres. This was huge in acceleration, braking, and especially turning. She feels much faster. I looked at carbon but additional weight savings were minimal for a massive increase in cost. Seriously, my tyres are heavier than the wheels...and I went to 305 at the rear which you will need. (You’ll need your fenders rolled if you plan on flooring it with the shopping on board!)

2) junk the ABC. This is 240lbs of obsolete technology, IMO. Technically clever, but not effective in an older car. I went to Silvers Neomax and they are great. We are talking 37.4lbs for EACH STRUT, down to 8lbs for the coil units, on each corner. You need to get the man to take out the pumps, lines and valve blocks for full effect, and you’re talking around 200lbs of savings. You’ll feel that. Ride quality is minimally impacted, and cornering now feels like it’s on rails. Lower it to help the 20’s fill the arches and you’re a badass. Some sway bars and some adjustable end links, and a corner balance and she sticks like sick to a blanket.

3) pulley and tune, bigger injectors, K&N air filter. This steps you up a notch. Serious hit In Power. I went all in for a 70mm pulley from VRP, and besides all of the theoretical physics on this site that will tell you you’ll be overheating your charge and retarding back to driving an SL500 after a bit of fun you won’t. I live in Texas, and even in this heat she pulls like a train, and keeps pulling all day long. You’ll ruin the refined feel of the car, as you can now feel the SC kick in (hard) at 2500RPM, but for me it’s easily worth it.

4) stainless hoses, better brake pads. Ok, no real weight loss or power increase, but the change to brake feels is huge. I was planning bigger rotors but stopped after doing this as brake effectiveness improved so much.

5) batteries. Interesting one this. I went for 2 Braille 21lb batteries, and the driving battery (under the hood up front) worked fine, but the trunk battery (consumer, it’s called I think) is under constant drain and just wouldn’t stay charged. Annoying, as don’t want to have it plugged in all the time charging and need the car as a daily driver. Having to drive 30 mins before your stereo, roof, AC etc. Works in Texas is a no-go, so went back to original battery. Solved the problem(s) instantly. Front battery still 21lbs, but stock front battery is much lighter than rear (38-40lbs, to the rear’s 56-60lbs), so less weight saved. However, shifting weight to the rear not a bad thing to control all of the high boost madness.

6) LT headers. I bit the bullet and got some MBH long tubes, and honestly they are gorgeous. I just wish you could see them from outside the car! The sound on full throttle is like a harmonic thunderstorm and addictive, and the free breathing opens up the taps for much more Bhp. Great mod.

That’s what I’ve done and she’s a beast. Oh, also fitted a Quaife LSD and that’s sharpened things up a lot. Puts the power down much better now.

This week: fitting a KC from Kincaid, under the bumper and getting rid of the HE for the intercooler. Trunk tank and pump going in the rear spare wheel well, helping with more weight off the front into the back for traction & handling. Also got a set of Girodisc rotors for the front and weighing them up they are 24lbs to the stock 37lbs, so a massive 13lbs per corner weight reduction.

I am hoping these mods really unlock the power of the cold boost and even more crisp acceleration and handling benefits, but all I’ve done above has totally changed the car. She’s a beast! I’ll report back after mods.

 

Coilovers Lolol

 

Although I don't see anything wrong with gutting a SL I wouldn't do it to a perfectly good one. I would love to find a super cheap flooded/totaled SL55 and turn it into an all out track car [img]images/smilies/cool.gif[/img]

Pretty much what i did to my one , was a cheap car anyway with loads of issues so the purists dont need to cry about it !
I ripped out the original seats , theyre really heavy , 20 or 30 kilos + each , i stripped the seat belts and the plastic computer and retro fitted them to a pair of lightweight Recaro Leather Mclaren seats i found on ebay over here , a pair of light weight steel OMP seat base and a few spacers and they went back in , manual adjustments and they fit well and are comfortable too .
ABC got junked , single pump ,removed lines, Bilsteins and Eibachs , W205 Rear Anti Roll bar , SL350 on front , its massive anyway and tightens the front up .
Wheels and Brakes would be next to lighten the car , the New std Rotors are incredibly heavy and un neccessary , spin up some Alloy bells and take half the weight out !!






I gotta sell the car if anyone wants to take on a cheap project , UK by the way .

 

Hey, this is very interesting as I have been looking at new seats.

How much weight do you reckon you’ve saved with the Recarro/Maclaren seats?

 

30 or 40 kilos i expect in total .

 

can you share the model number for those seats? They look great. I’d like to check em out.

 

I'd love to but you cannot buy these ,theyre many thousands of pounds option in a Mclaren MP4-12C , ive only ever seen these and a pair of Alcantara versions for £10,000 gbp advertised ! You could buy my car for that !!

 

The N°1 best weight saver is divorce

 

Hah

 

Hey, I'm on this, you've inspired me. I'm trying to make this work. Question though: how do you manage the seatbelt? I see you still have the 3 point belt in, and I simply can't face asking someon getting into an SL to strap a racing harness on - nor will I be fitting a harness bar. How did you manage to get the belt mechanism to fit?

Would love to know how to make the original belt work with a set of racing recliners. Thanks mate!!

 

Anyone have fiberglass or carbon fiber for the roof and hood? I've gutted the ABC and convertible components already, just wondering how much the roof weighs. Car only has 33k miles

 

I have to laugh...I wish I could have gotten my GT for $150k.

 

You could have... back when he posted this.